The Piedmont City Council, held at the Bethune Community Center on Tuesday, approved creating an emergency reserve fund to help pay for unexpected equipment needs.
Council Member Doug Dickeson brought the idea to council, adding that the city was in dire need for such a fund, as they have had past difficulties replacing equipment and vehicles needed to maintain city services.
“We’ve got to do something,” Dickeson told the council prior the vote. “I keep trying, month after month, and all I hear is ‘we can’t,’” said Dickeson.
Following Dickeson’s recommendation, the council agreed with a 7 to 1 vote to set aside $10,000 of the city’s utility revenue each month, beginning January 1st. The funds collected can only be used for emergency purchases or repairs that total more than $10,000 with council approval.
In other business, the council agreed to consolidate the city’s billing accounts for residential electric, garbage, water, gas, and sewer services at a cost of approximately $6,000.
Casey Ponder, city electric supervisor, said that merging the accounts will ensure that online bill payments are properly collected. Ponder said that previously, there were collections issues, where residents unknowingly only paid a portion of their bill.
Bills for payment were approved in the amount of $524,282.45.
The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19th, following the work session, which is set for 5:30pm.